


Gladiolus, Yellow Tulips, Yellow Roses, and Lilacs

by AcesOfSpade



Series: Ace's Random One-Shot Collection [18]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, First Kiss, Flower meanings, Multi, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, kind of?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 00:43:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7596676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AcesOfSpade/pseuds/AcesOfSpade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone is born with a bouquet of flowers on the dominant arm. It's said that the only other person (or in some cases, people) who have the same bouquet as you is your soulmate, the person you're destined to be with.</p><p>Remus Lupin has believed this since he was a kid and his mother first explained it to him.</p><p>Sirius Black has done his best to hide it from everyone, until he just can't anymore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gladiolus, Yellow Tulips, Yellow Roses, and Lilacs

**Author's Note:**

> I have a drawing of Sirius and Remus' bouquet that I did, so that'll either be at the end of the fic as a JPEG, or a link in the end note if I can't make it embed properly. The end note will also have all of the flower meanings I came across for the fic.

Ever since he could remember, Remus Lupin had a beautiful bouquet of flowers on his right arm, crawling up from his wrist to his shoulder. His mother told him what each different flower was. There were three pink gladiolus, two purple lilacs, a single yellow rose, and two yellow tulips decorating his arm. His mother explained to him that his soulmate, the person he was destined to love, would have a matching bouquet on their arm as well. The idea mesmerized young Remus, and he'd begged his mother to show him her bouquet. Hers was made up of red and pink roses, a Star of Bethlehem (which she told him meant 'hope', and he laughed at that), three sunflowers, and a pink tulip. It was beautiful, breathtaking even, and Remus wished he had that many flowers on his arm.

* * *

Sirius Black had always been told to ignore the flowers on his arm. The sprawling bouquet was nothing important, just something everyone had. No one thought to explain the concept of soulmates to him, because the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black didn't _need_ soulmates. They married for duty, not for love. However, the young boy was still fascinated by the bouquet decorating his right arm, the bright colours always having to be hidden under his clothes so people wouldn't see them. He would sometimes see bright colours peeking out from under his mother's sleeves, but they weren't the same as the ones his father had. Maybe everybody just had different flowers?

* * *

When Sirius started at Hogwarts, he met James Potter on the train, who had an arm full of lilies. He only had lilies, about four of them in total, two orange and two yellow. The colours stood out against his skin, and since he wore short sleeves, the flowers were clearly visible to anyone who looked. Sirius' own were hidden under the long sleeves of his robes, hidden away as he'd been told to do since he was small.

 

Sirius met another boy during his first day at Hogwarts named Remus Lupin. He was quiet, and kind of shy, so Sirius made it his mission to get him to at least crack a smile. He seemed nice, and nice people shouldn't be shy in his opinion. Of course, the eleven-year-old pureblood had little experience with nice people to truly know whether they should be shy or not.

 

When Sirius finally got Remus to smile, it was like a lighthouse beacon: bright and blinding. He'd made a particularly distasteful joke about one of the new Slytherin first years, which had Remus laughing with that bright smile on his face. Sirius, in that moment, knew they would be great friends.

* * *

It wasn't until second year that they finally started talking about their flowers, as a group. The Marauders, they called themselves: Sirius, Remus, James, and a mousey kid named Peter Pettigrew.

 

Peter had been the one to bring them up, long past lights out, but he knew none of them were sleeping.

 

“I see everyone with flowers,” he mused, “but I don't have any. Do you guys have flowers? I mean, I know James does, but do you two?” he asked, meaning Sirius and Remus.

 

Sirius instinctively brushed a hand over his right arm, the barest hints of his flowers visible under the sleeve of his pyjama shirt. “No,” he said, a little too quickly.

 

“I do,” Remus said. “My Mum told me what each of them was when I was little,” he commented. “Gladiolus, lilacs, tulips, and a rose.”

 

Peter seemed content with their answers, eventually falling asleep for the night.

 

While the other boys fell asleep, Sirius stayed up. He rolled the sleeve of his shirt up to his shoulder to inspect the flowers decorating his arm. He traced each one individually as he recalled the names he'd found for them: gladiolus, lilac, tulip, rose. He'd done his own digging when he'd got to Hogwarts as to what the flowers meant, when the other Marauders weren't around. He found out they were part of a set, usually two, but sometimes three or four. Each set was unique to the people they decorated, dictating these things called 'soulmates'. Sirius still wasn't entirely sure what that meant, as no one explained it to him as a kid. What he could find explained about love, something Sirius really didn't understand.

 

Ignoring the fluttering in his chest, Sirius finally fell asleep.

* * *

Putting all thoughts of soulmates aside, Sirius realized he was gay in third year. He had seen James pining after Evans, who James was _certain_ was his soulmate, and he saw the guys in their House, and other Houses, getting together with girls. He may have flirted to keep up with appearances for the sake of his pureblood family, Sirius knew he just didn't want any kind of relationship with a girl. As nice as they were (most of the time), they just weren't his type.

 

Now, there was one person Sirius thought was his type. He wasn't exactly sure _what_ his type was, but he was sure Remus Lupin was it. He appeared to be the quiet, perfect student, but Sirius knew better. He was just as mischievous as the rest of the Marauders, spearheading quite a few pranks on his own. He was also attractive, at least what Sirius thought attractive was. Light brown curls fell into golden-brown eyes. Light freckles dusted his cheeks and little nose, giving him an almost childish look. Where Sirius was angles and edges, Remus was round and soft. Sirius had never _seen_ an angel, but he was sure Remus was one.

 

Of course, Sirius kept all of this to himself. He had learned more about soulmates, and almost everything he read stated that a soulmate bond was formed between a man and a woman, or multiple men or women in a platonic bond. Romantic bonds were stated to be strictly male/female, which could only mean that Remus couldn't be Sirius' soulmate. Sure, they had the same types of flowers on their arms, but they could be different colours and sizes for all Sirius knew. He'd never seen Remus' arm.

* * *

Remus realized he was gay in fourth year, and it had come as a shock to himself in a way. He'd been trying to sleep after the full moon, tossing and turning in his bed, but sleep would not come. Sirius happened to be awake at the time, which was a godawful hour of the morning the day after the full moon, and heard Remus thrashing about. He'd moved to sit at the foot of Remus' bed, trying to calm him down and make him sleep.

 

In that moment, Remus' mind supplied images, _fantasies_ , of kissing Sirius for being so kind, for being such a great friend. That was something straight guys thought about their best friends, right? Yeah, that even sounded like bullshit to Remus.

 

After the realization that yes, he was into blokes, Remus slowly started realizing he didn't fancy girls as much. They were good friends, but not something he'd want to kiss. He'd actually had a few secret relationships with other guys at Hogwarts, but nothing ever became of them, because the others were all looking for their soulmates, which Remus definitely was not.

 

Of course, there was the whole ordeal with Remus' _massive_ crush on Sirius, but he was doing his best to ignore that. His mother had told him his soulmate was probably some wonderful girl that would complement him perfectly, but Remus couldn't find it in him to break her fantasy by telling her he didn't like girls. He especially wouldn't tell her about Sirius, because telling her would lead to questions he didn't want to answer.

 

Instead, Remus squished it away and focused on studying for his exams and preparing for the next full moon.

* * *

Sixth year was the year Remus and Sirius finally saw each other's flowers. One of James' pranks had involved syrup of some sort, and the Marauders ended up covered in it, Remus and Sirius most of all. No matter what spells they tried, the syrup wasn't going anywhere, so they had to take showers to get it out of their hair and skin.

 

As Sirius pulled off his shirt, Remus caught sight of a familiar flash of colour on his arm. His eyes immediately darted down to his own arm, tracing the three pink gladiolus with his eyes as he got ready for his shower. Was it possible that...? No, the Universe wasn't nice enough to allow him that. After all, it was a miracle Sirius wanted to be his friend thanks to his 'furry little problem', so why would Sirius want him as a soulmate? He was damaged, irreparable. He'd stopped believing his soulmate was out there the longer he was in school, but sometimes, he liked to fantasize, just let himself imagine being happy with someone. Maybe Sirius was that someone. But Sirius had said he didn't have any flowers. Why would be lie about that?

 

Shaking the thought out of his head, Remus turned on the shower and started rinsing the syrup out of his hair.

 

Sirius, meanwhile, had chanced a glance back at Remus as he tugged off his syrup-stained shirt, noticing a quick flash of purple, yellow, and green. A familiar flash of purple, yellow, and green. He'd been entertaining the idea that Remus was his soulmate since that day in second year when Peter asked about their flowers. Of course, Remus still believed Sirius had no flowers, and he'd like to keep it that way.

 

Ignoring all thoughts of Remus and soulmates, Sirius turned on his own shower, scrubbing himself down to get that damn syrup off of him.

* * *

Seventh year, everything changed for the Marauders. Lily Evans finally showed James her flowers, which were the exact same as his orange and yellow lilies that wrapped around James' arm. He'd been so excited he nearly fainted, which Sirius would tease him for later.

 

Watching James and Lily, Remus sighed, resting his chin on the heel of his hand. He was sitting at one of the tables in the Gryffindor common room, supposed to be studying. Instead, he was daydreaming again. Daydreaming about his own flowers, and whomever had the matching ones.

 

He'd apparently spaced out a little more than usual, as Sirius waved a hand in front of his face to get his attention. “Earth to Moony,” he muttered, concerned. Was Remus okay? The full moon wasn't for another two weeks, so it couldn't be that. Something else was bothering his friend, and he wanted to know what. “Everything okay, Moony?” he asked.

 

Remus just nodded with a shrug. “Just thinking,” he said, turning back to his half-finished homework.

 

“About?” Sirius asked curiously, not trying to pry. He was honestly just curious.

 

“About the flowers on my arm, and what they mean,” Remus muttered, turning to face Sirius. Golden eyes met silver eyes, and for a moment, neither spoke. It was Sirius who broke the silence.

 

“What, about them being a soulmate mark?” Sirius stated, puzzled. Remus already knew that. Why would he be thinking about that?

 

Remus shook his head. “No, not that. My Mum taught me the language of flowers when I was younger, and I'm pretty good at figuring out what a flower means,” he explained. “For example, yellow roses mean friendship, and gladiolus mean strength of character.” He sounded like a professor, but at the same time, he still sounded like Moony, always direct. Well, almost always.

 

“What about the other two you have?” Sirius asked. “The lilacs and the yellow tulips?”

 

“Lilacs mean first love, and yellow tulips mean hopelessly in love,” Remus muttered. Those last two, he'd pondered on for quite some time, alongside the yellow rose. His first love, a friend, and he was helplessly in love with them. Everything kept pointing back to Sirius, but _that wasn't possible_ , because Sirius didn't have any flowers. He'd heard of one-sided soulmates before, but they usually ended up heartbroken and alone, and he didn't want that.

 

Sirius, without realizing it, had pushed up the sleeve of his robes to trace the outline of the lilac on the left side of his forearm, which caught Remus' attention.

 

Glancing down at Sirius' wrist, Remus gasped audibly. There, decorating Sirius' arm, was a beautiful bouquet of flowers. The same flowers Remus had, in the same colours and locations. His heart sped up as he rolled up his sleeve to show Sirius his own arm wordlessly. Sirius looked down at Remus' arm as he rolled up his sleeve, puzzled momentarily until he saw what Remus wanted to show him.

 

They had the same flowers. The same eight flowers on their arms, the same vivid colours, and the same design. Their eyes slowly trailed up from their arms, meeting in a heated glance. Remus abandoned his homework, yanking Sirius up by the wrist and dragging him off towards the dorm. Peter was asleep in the common room, and James was probably halfway across the castle with Lily, so the two would be alone to talk.

 

Remus locked the door of the dorm behind them, sitting on the edge of his bed and glanced at the spot next to him, asking Sirius to sit with just his glance. Sirius did, and he absently reached for Remus' hand, entwining their fingers between them.

 

“Why would you say you didn't have any?” Remus asked softly, looking him right in the eye. He couldn't understand that part; if he has flowers, why would he lie and say he didn't?

 

“My parents,” Sirius muttered, not breaking eye contact. “They never explained what a soulmate was to me. They just told me to hide the flowers on my arm, they were nothing special. I didn't find out what they meant until nearly the end of first year.”

 

Remus sighed, squeezing Sirius' hand. “You don't have to hide them anymore, if you don't want to,” he whispered, biting his lip afterwards.

 

A small smile settled itself on Sirius' face as he squeezed Remus' hand in return. “I don't think I will. Hide them, that is,” he told him softly.

 

A smile slowly spread across Remus' face, that same lighthouse beacon smile Sirius had gotten out of him all they way on their first day of first year. This time, though, Sirius leaned in closer. Remus caught on to what he was getting at and met him halfway.

 

The kiss was soft and sweet, too short in their opinion. They were interrupted by Peter knocking on the door tiredly, wanting to curl up in his bed and sleep properly. Remus sighed, untangling their fingers and going to let Peter in.

 

Peter just scrambled over to his bed, changed into his pyjamas, and curled up in his bed. He was asleep in moments.

 

Remus sat back down next to Sirius, resting his head on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius wrapped an arm around his shoulders, but the two said nothing. They just enjoyed the embrace.

 

When James got back to the dorm, Sirius was sprawled across Remus' bed. Remus' head was on Sirius' chest, one arm thrown over his waist. James couldn't help but chuckle. He'd known those two were soulmates since the day he met them. It looked like they'd finally figured it out for themselves, and James couldn't be happier for two of his best friends. They deserved to be happy, and happy with each other was even better.

**Author's Note:**

> **Flower Meanings:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> -Gladiolus: strength of character  
> -Yellow Tulips: hopelessly in love  
> -Yellow Roses: friendship  
> -Lilacs: first love  
> -Red Roses: passionate love  
> -Pink Roses: admiration/appreciation  
> -Star of Bethlehem: hope ~~bc puns~~  
>  -Sunflowers: adoration  
> -Pink Tulips: caring  
> -Yellow Lilies: gaiety (being lighthearted and/or cheerful)  
> -Orange Lilies: passion
> 
> (The drawing: [x](http://prntscr.com/bxz2ns))


End file.
